Dementia Care

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Vol 5 No 6 December 2016/January 2017 Australian Journal of Dementia Care 31
Extensive evidence supports the fact
that the majority of people living
with dementia will experience
changes in behaviour that have become
known as behavioural and psychological
symptoms of dementia (BPSD).
The presence of BPSD can have
considerable negative effects on the
quality of life of the person with
dementia and also impact carers and
staff.
The role of staff supporting people
living with dementia in any context of
care – at home, in residential care, in
respite, in acute care, throughout
transitions – is to create physical and
social environments that are ‘dementia
friendly’ and also highly attuned to the
specific needs and preferences of each
person.
Approaches to care that are built upon
solid understandings of the role of
communication, knowing the person,
and making the environment easier for
the person to relax and feel at home in,
have been shown to minimise some
expressions of BPSD, for example
agitation.
We know that in situations where staff
have received high-quality training
focused on understanding how to relate
to people living with dementia and how
to create care spaces attuned to their
needs, staff report less stress related to
BPSD expression, and higher satisfaction
with their roles. However, sustained
practice change is difficult to achieve and
requires support from leadership and a
commitment to focused training, a
specific plan of change and feedback to
achieve desired outcomes.
Tailored training
Amongst the range of programs and
resources offered by DTA are
consultation services for providers
focused on evidence-based practice
change to improve the daily lives and
care experience of people living with
dementia. The consultations make use of
all the available training resources of
DTA to tailor a package specific to the
needs of individual providers in any care
environment.
Within DTA, Queensland University of
Technology (QUT) is responsible for
providing training that is, ultimately,
designed to mitigate the impact of
behaviour changes on people living with
dementia by providing staff with the
knowledge, skills and attitudes to make
and sustain critical changes to care and
how it is provided.
The DTABehaviour Consultation
Program (DTA-BCP) welcomes inquiries
from providers who are ready to closely
examine their care practices and take
guided steps towards their goals related
to behaviour change in dementia.
Providers may also be referred for a
consultation because they have recently
used the services of the national
Dementia Behaviour Management
Advisory Service (DBMAS), now
Dementia Support Australia led by
HammondCare (see p34).
Each consultation will be undertaken
in person by highly trained staff
experienced in assisting providers to
prepare for, enact and evaluate practice
change strategies. Our change strategies
teach and model skills that are relevant to
creating environments to maximise the
comfort, engagement and inclusion of
people living with dementia and the
skills and commitment of staff.
An organisation wanting to apply for
DTA-BCP will need to identify a small
team who will jointly plan the scope and
goals of the consultation with us. The
purpose of this team is to ensure effective
leadership of desired care practice
changes and to ensure the consultation is
focused and valuable.
To apply for the DTA-BCP or for more
information about DTA programs go to:
or
email
Behaviour Consultation
Program supports change
The Dementia Training Australia Behaviour
Consultation Program (DTA-BCP) supports
evidence-based practice responses to behaviour
changes in dementia. Professor Elizabeth
Beattie, DTA Director, Queensland University of
Technology, explains
meeting special care needs, appropriate
support of expressions of sexuality,
person-centred care and, last but by no
means least, the essentials of dementia
care. The latter will be delivered across
Australia by Alzheimer’s Australia as
Dementia Essentials training (see p28).
This new approach will see Designing
for People with Dementia take its proper
place in the development of better
services for people with dementia, as part
of a comprehensive approach to training
and consultancy.
For more information about the Designing
for People with Dementia program or other
DTA programs go to:
or
email
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